HP expands lead in PC shipments, Apple gains in U.S.

Hewlett-Packard increased its share of global PC shipments in the third quarter, maintaining its No. 1 ranking, while Apple made sharp gains in the U.S. market.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 91.8 million units in the third quarter of 2011, a 3.2 percent increase from the third quarter of 2010, according to preliminary results by Gartner released today.

HP grew faster than the industry average globally, with its market share reaching 17.7 percent (see top chart)--despite announcing in the middle of the quarter that it may spin off its PC business, according to Gartner. HP also experienced strong growth in the U.S.

Lenovo became the second-largest PC vendor in the worldwide market for the first time--at Dell's expense. Lenovo's 25 percent gain year-over-year was boosted in part by a joint venture with NEC in Japan, Gartner said.

In the U.S., Gartner showed that "Apple had the strongest growth among the top five vendors in the U.S. PC market." (See bottom chart.) Apple's computer shipments increased 21.5 percent in the third quarter of 2011. "The robust growth of the MacBook Air continued to lead Apple's overall growth in the U.S. market," Gartner said.

Dell's performance was below the industry average in most regions, as the company faced intensified competition in the professional space, Gartner said.

Tablets and smartphones continue to pressure the U.S. consumer PC market.

"Media tablets and smartphones took center stage in the U.S. retail sector, and the expectation is for continuing demand for these devices throughout the holiday season," according to the market research firm.

Gartner also said that global results were lower than its earlier projection of 5.1 percent growth for the quarter. The Europe, the Middle East, and Africa region contributed to lower-than-expected growth led by a weak Western European market, Gartner said.